Watching Oscar Piastri today, I couldn’t shake the feeling that a kind of redemption arc is unfolding. At Monza, after Norris suffered a slow pit-stop, McLaren had Piastri let Norris past, a swap that many saw as the team masking its own pit-stop mistakes. And today at Baku, Piastri’s weekend has been riven by errors. He crashed out of qualifying in Q3 after braking too late entering Turn 3, jumped the start of the race, stopped and jumped to the last spot, and then locked up at Turn 5 and hit the barrier, abruptly ending his race and his 34-race streak of scoring points. Did he let his disappointment from the last race hamper his cool head this time, and did that lead to mistakes? Maybe.
My conspiracy theory (because what’s a good F1 season without one?) is that today’s mess might strangely serve him better. If the championship points are tight now, then next time around Piastri needs only two things, stay clean, avoid those heat-of-the-moment lapses, and maybe, just maybe, ignore team orders to ensure he is ahead in the points.
Norris, on the other hand, did slip up. As commentators said, he was caught napping during the safety-car restart, as Charles Leclerc sneaked past him. That said, I have to give him credit for the final laps, he aggressively tried to catch Yuki Tsunoda, but alas! Didn't manage it. Also, what is it with Norris and pit stops lately?
Ferrari ought to befriend the Racing Bulls and figure out what they did right. Issak Hadjar managing to give competition to Hamilton should be a wake-up call for Ferrari. Meanwhile, Yuki Tsunoda finally looked like he had a good car.
I really really hope that it is Ferrari that surprises us in Singapore. Charles Leclerc mentioned before the race that they are bringing an upgrade in Singapore.
It was surprisingly nice to hear Alonso not snapping over the radio. He admitted his mistake when there was one.
Nine laps into the Azerbaijan GP, it felt like Baku was reshaping the season’s story. Oscar Piastri, the championship leader, was out after just one lap, Lando Norris struggled to climb up from his starting position. A Redbull struggling to overtake a Racing Bull. Max Verstappen, who has had a comparatively difficult season, secured a dominant win. And Sainz, who was lower on the grid all season, was in the top 3.
“Do-nothing Russell?" Not today! George Russell delivered a masterclass in Baku. He charged from sixth on the grid to finish second, making the most of the early chaos.
Since yesterday’s qualifying, I was hoping to see Carlos Sainz either win or at least stand on the podium. By around lap 24, I was silently praying, “Please let him keep the position; please no mistake.” And he did enough to hold it. Third place! Morale-boosting, heartwarming. Also, it is kinda cool when he makes strategy decisions while racing.
There's something poetic about Carlos Sainz securing a podium before Lewis Hamilton. Lewis is my hero (obviously), but I can't help but smile for Sainz today. To top it off, "Smooth Operator" played after the race, a bit cheeky, a bit suave. Perfect finishing note.
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